


Obito Uchiha's Boyfriend Wishlist

by obitoforpresident (Bibixblocksberg)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dorks in Love, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Good Uchiha Obito, Kakashi is doing his best, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Uchiha Massacre, Oblivious Obito is oblivious, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Uchiha Obito Lives, Uchiha Obito-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:14:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28526049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibixblocksberg/pseuds/obitoforpresident
Summary: Obito didn't want anyone to know about the secret list which was laying in his nightstand for years. But sadly, shit happens, and now everyone knows what he secretly wishes for - and why, in Kami's name, is Kakashi acting so strange? Time for Obito to investigate.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 119
Kudos: 327





	1. The Catastrophe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anannua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anannua/gifts).



> Dearest Ana, you asked me to write this months ago and I finally got the time to write this. I hope this'll make you as happy as I was while writing it and please take care of your teeth.

It was the middle of summer, the sky a cheery blue and not a single cloud in sight. Obito and his team just came back from a successful mission at the border of earth country and Obito was in high spirits. He had a skip in his every step as he walked behind his sunshine – blonde sensei, and his heart warmed as Minato said his goodbyes to them with ruffling their hair. Rin was beaming at her sensei as much as Obito, while Kakashi was scowling but leaning into the hand on his head, nonetheless. 

It didn’t stop to baffle Obito how Kakashi had grown since the fateful day they had almost lost their lives. He was much more approachable now, no sign of the arrogant stuck-up kid he once was. Obito liked him much better now. 

The three teens were making their way through the streets of Konoha, Obito never getting tired of enjoying the bustling around him, the smell of freshly fried food and flowers. He just wanted to ask his two friends if they were up to going to _Ichiraku’s_ , to treat themselves with a well-deserved lunch as a little commotion at the gates of the Uchiha – compound drew in his attention. 

Rin and Kakashi were sending him curious glances as if Obito should know what all that was about, but he just shrugged his shoulders and like a well-oiled machine the three of them turned to the turmoil in sync, making their way over with long strides. 

They came to a stop at the edge of a group of boisterous Uchiha and some former classmates, and Obito had to stand on his tiptoes to see what all of this was about. And then Obito saw _her_ \- Rukia Uchiha – one of Obito’s many, many cousins – was standing in the middle of the pulk, her long black hair elegantly pulled up into a tight-sitting bun. 

The girl, not much older than Obito himself, had a smile on her face and to Obito’s chagrin it was the one she always used when she was picking on him. Apparently, he was her favorite victim and he had to endure her bullying for years now. He didn’t know what he ever did to deserve this, but it didn’t bother him as much as it did as a kid anymore. 

Working at the side of his teammates and friends for years now, going on dangerous missions and risking his life on a daily basis – it had let his character grow wiser and more mature, and he wasn’t as easily getting riled up as a few years ago. Minato-sensei had just told him a few days ago how proud he was of him and Obito had been more than pleased about the praise. His sensei wasn’t giving compliments easily, so it was especially important to Obito that Minato had taken the time to acknowledge his maturing. 

Rukia was clearing her throat, demanding Obito’s attention, and he narrowed his eyes as he caught a glimpse of a familiar looking piece of paper in her hands. He pushed through the crowd to be able to see more of it, Rin and Kakashi a constant presence at his side, and Obito’s eyes grew as wide as saucers as he realized why that piece of paper seemed so familiar. It couldn’t be – no. There was absolutely no way that she got her dirty hands on _that_. 

“Number One –“ Rukia’s shrill voice was echoing over the street and the little group of teenagers was instantly becoming silent. “I want a boyfriend who’ll be nice to Rin.”

An undignified squeak escaped Obito’s lips and to his absolute horror everyone was now staring at him. He could feel his cheeks flush with heat, his hands instantly balling into fists at his side. How, in kami’s name, did she get her fingers on this? This – this list – had been slumbering in the depth of Obito’s desk for years now and – 

Did this menace of a woman really break into his home just to find another thing to torture him with?

Rukia’s dark eyes were flicking over to him and a shiver ran down his spine as he detected an evil glint in them. Obito could see his little cousins Itachi and Shisui standing in the group of listeners too and he had to close his own eyes for a moment in a desperate attempt to calm himself down.

“Number two: I want a boyfriend who always carries my favorite sweets with him.” Rukia’s eyes were shining with badly hidden mirth and Obito couldn’t believe that this was really happening. “Now – aren’t you a cute one, _O-b-i-t-o_?”

Obito was snarling at her, while some of his former classmates were loudly snickering at his expense. Obito didn’t have a problem with them knowing that he was gay – he never made a secret out of it after all – but to see them laughing about a list he had written when he was twelve, shortly after his grandmother’s death, was like taking a kunai to the heart. 

To have to listen to his comrades, his friends, laughing at his innermost feelings and wishes was a kind of horror Obito didn’t think he would go out of unscathed. He could practically hear his heart hammering in his chest, could feel his hands getting clammy with sweat and he contemplated to simply run away. 

“Number Three: I want a boyfriend who is telling me bad jokes just to make me laugh.”

Obito knew that there were tears gathering in his eyes now. Or well – his one eye, his other one was sitting in the skull of his best friend, after all. Rin’s tiny hand was grabbing for his, and Obito gained new courage as she squeezed the tiniest bit. He straightened his back from its slump and held his head high. Rukia wouldn’t destroy him with her little scheme – not this time. He would strengthen his heart right now and wouldn’t deliver her another point to attack. 

He threw a short glance to his other side where Kakashi was standing stiffly. His friend and teammate had his brows furrowed and it almost looked like he was listening intently. Well, this was new – usually, Kakashi only rolled his eyes when one of their former classmates was spreading rumors or if they were making fun of one another. But why did Kakashi has to pay attention when it was _Obito_ getting humiliated? 

He didn’t want to look bad in Kakashi’s eyes, didn’t want to look weak or pathetic like Rukia portrayed him right now. It was a recent development – Obito’s feelings for his silver-haired teammate that is, but it seemed like he had to eliminate all his wishes and dreams before they even had a chance to grow.

“Number Four: I want a boyfriend who is patient with my clumsiness and ramblings and who isn’t making fun of it constantly.”

Obito could see Genma snickering into his fist, nearly poking his own eye out with his poisoned senbon. Rukia was bathing in the attention she received and to Obito’s absolute horror more and more people were gathering around them to listen.

“Number Five of _Obito Uchiha’s boyfriend-wish-list_ ,” Obito had to suppress an outraged scream. “I want a boyfriend who is training with me regularly, who doesn’t have a problem with spending evenings on the couch beside me, reading some books we both like.” 

Rukia was cackling, the list fluttering in the low breeze. Snickers and giggles were surrounding Obito from all sides now and Obito just wanted to grab Rukia by her hair and smash her face against the nearest wall. Her grin grew feral, twisting her face into something disgusting. “My, my – Obito. Are you still reading those trashy romance novels? Are you still hoping that some prince on a white horse will come by to save your sorry ass?”

Obito knew that he was crying now, no matter how hard he tried not to. He could feel a familiar wetness on his cheeks, the burning of his eye and even Rin’s encouraging squeezing of his hand wasn’t helping anymore. Kami, but he wished that he still had his goggles to hide his tears from the world. But they were sitting on his bedside drawer at home, not knowing how much Obito wished right now to feel the familiar weight on his face. 

“Will you just stop already –“ Obito began, a hiccup between every other syllable. But Rukia didn’t even acknowledge that he said something, continuing to read Obito’s hopes and dreams out loud. 

“Number Six: I want a boyfriend who’s actually listening to what I have to say. Number Seven: I want a boyfriend who reminds me to take care of my things, who’ll oil my kunai when I once again forget all about it. And – one of my personal favorites – Number Eight: I want a boyfriend who is making me hot chocolate on the weekend and is surprising me with a self-made dinner.”

Rukia was laughing loudly, many of the people listening joining her, and Obito wanted nothing more than to run to his flat and to hide under his blanket. He thought he was over this, over the yearning to just vanish from earth and he definitely thought that they all grew out of the cruelty that was bullying each other. But it seemed like they were not, and he seriously contemplated if he should ever set a foot on the streets of Konoha again.

“You’re disgusting,” Rin’s voice broke through the loud laughter all around, and to Obito’s surprise it wasn’t just Rin stepping up for him. At his other side, Kakashi was seething silently, air-sickening killing intent coming off of him in waves. People were actually backing away from them and Obito could finally breathe again. 

As Obito threw a look to his silver-haired friend, he could see Kakashi’s face – or well, the part of his face which was not hidden by his mask – clouded with rage and fury, and for a few seconds Obito could feel warmth spreading through his veins. But the sickly feeling of being humiliated was suppressing all positive feelings in a heartbeat and he could do nothing more than watch as Rukia continued with her terror.

“What is it to you, Nohara? Depressed because he wants a boyfriend instead of you?” There was even more laughter now, but to her credit Rin didn’t even look fazed in the slightest. She just cracked her knuckles, sending another seething look at the Uchiha-girl. 

“Number Nine: I want a boyfriend who’ll hold my hand,” Rukia snorted. “As if someone will hold the hand of a _dead-last_.”

And this was it – the final straw which made Obito snap. He let out a feral growl, ready _to just end her pitiful life_ , but strong hands were holding him back. 

“Obito –“ Kakashi’s voice was nothing more than a calming whisper against his ear. “That’ll only make it worse and they’ll just kick you off the active roster. Let’s just go, okay?”

His silver-haired friend was turning him around at the shoulders, pushing him through the grinning and giggling crowd. Rin was still holding his hand, the callouses on her fingers from years of training grounding him a bit. But as Rukia noticed their departure, her shrill voice only got louder. 

“Number Ten: I want a boyfriend who’ll keep me warm! And last but not least –“ Obito couldn’t help but closing his eyes in silent defeat. He knew what was written down as the last point and he wasn’t sure if he would ever survive hearing it out loud.

“Number Eleven: I want a boyfriend whose breath tastes as sweet as strawberries!” Roaring laughter was filling the street, and Obito tried to focus on Kakashi’s hands on his shoulders, on Rin’s hand and taking one step after the other. “Obito, you should have become a poet instead of a shinobi! You definitely would have been more successful!”

“ _I hate her! Let me get back there, to strangle her with my bare hands!_ ”

Obito was snarling, trashing against the hold of Kakashi’s hands with all his might, but his friend didn’t even bat an eyelash. Kakashi was pushing Obito along, until they reached a much calmer alley. Only then did he let go of Obito, who instantly sank down on the dusty ground, his back leaning against the nearest wall.

“What a disgusting person,” Rin murmured, her chocolate brown eyes glinting dangerously. She was giving Obito a tissue to dry off his tears and he murmured a quiet thanks. “You wanna get some ramen to feel better?”

Obito shook his head at his friend’s question. Not a single portion of ramen could make this day any less catastrophic. Because this is what this was – a catastrophe. The humiliation was just too much and Obito could feel the familiar tingle of anxiousness and depression seeping back into his bones. 

His deepest wishes had just been tossed out for others to laugh at and it was hurting like hell. To see people laughing about his clumsiness was one thing – but to actually see and hear them snickering about what he wished for most? Obito wasn’t sure if he would ever recover from this. 

“I –“ Obito took a deep breath in, the faces of his friends still blurry because of his unshed tears. “I just want to go home.”

As he looked up again Rin’s eyes were filled with pity and Obito couldn’t take it – it was the same look so many people had given him when he once again failed in something and – 

He shook his head before turning around and jumping onto the nearest rooftop. He made his way back to the Uchiha district, making a wide berth around the gates where he could still see Rukia standing. He could feel Kakashi following him, but the familiar crackling chakra of his friend vanished across the town as Obito laid down in his bed and pulled the blanket over his head.


	2. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato is there to pull Obito's head out of the sand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on [tumblr.](https://obitoforpresident.tumblr.com/)

Obito was still so utterly done with the world in its whole. He had rarely left his bed in the last few days, the fateful day on which his innermost feelings and dreams were exposed still heavy on his mind. He didn’t think that he would ever leave his cocoon of blankets again. When he closed his eyes, he could still hear the mocking laughter, could still see the horrible, twisted expression on his cousin’s face. 

And most importantly: he could still feel the deep hurt in his bones about how she had destroyed his life with just one single piece of paper. 

Obito couldn’t remember anymore how his face felt without tear stains littering his cheeks and he didn’t even know when the last time was that he ate something. It didn’t seem to matter when he was lying in his bed, his eyes stuck on the blank ceiling. He didn’t want to move, didn’t want to see his pitiful self accidentally in one of his mirrors.

In his lowest moments he even thought that it would be better if he would just end his life right here and now. But every time those thoughts were invading his mind, he could feel the phantom pain of rocks falling down on his head, he could nearly taste the dust of falling rocks on his tongue and he knew, deep down, that he wasn’t ready to die just yet. No matter how much he wanted to vanish from the surface of earth. 

How, in kami’s name, could he ever set a foot outside again, when he knew that his comrades were now aware of all his best kept secrets?

A knock on his front door let him startle from his musing, and slowly he sat up in his nest of blankets. Who would bother knocking on his door this late in the evening? Obito knew for a fact that Rin was currently on shift in the hospital and Kakashi wouldn’t bother with something as polite as knocking on a door.

His teammate and friend had visited him a few hours earlier and Obito had let out a very unmanly shriek in surprise as the silver-haired boy had just pushed his lithe body through one of Obito’s windows unceremoniously. Kakashi had tried to get Obito to join him for a training session, but he had given up after thirty minutes of talking to a bunch of blankets. Obito just couldn’t bring himself to face the other teen. 

Obito had felt the ire in Kakashi’s already more than irritated chakra, but _he couldn’t care_. How could he face Kakashi, his friend and the boy Obito secretly had romantic feelings for, when he had heard what Obito wished for so deeply? He couldn’t take to see pity on Kakashi’s face. Everyone, but not him.

Another knock echoed through his flat, much more forceful this time, and with a heavy sigh Obito finally got up. His legs were a bit wobbly from not using them much over the last days, and his bare feet were making tapping sounds on his linoleum floor. As he opened the door, he couldn’t stop his face from twisting in surprise. Minato was standing in front of him, his ever-bright smile in place on his lips and blue eyes shining with fondness. 

“Good evening, Obito,” the older man said softly, and before Obito even realized what he was doing, he was already pressed against the other man’s chest and was clinging to broad shoulders almost desperately. Obito had his arms slung around Minato’s neck, his face tucked safely in blonde locks as he cried. 

Obito could feel a silent chuckle vibrating through his sensei’s chest, and he just inhaled the familiar scent of the man who was almost like a father to him. Maybe not a father, but more an older brother, but the sentiment keeps the same. Minato’s large hand was drawing soothing circles on his back and a few minutes later, Obito finally calmed down.

His cheeks were flushing with shameful heat as he saw the dark spot on Minato’s shirt, courtesy of his tears, but the soft smile never left Minato’s face. Instead of scolding him, like so many adults had done in Obito’s life when he was crying, he only ruffled his hair fondly. 

“Sorry,” Obito croaked out, wiping his wet face with one of his sleeves.

“Don’t worry about it,” his sensei smiled at him and Obito was thankful to every deity out there, that they sent him Minato as his sensei. “Now,” Minato clapped his hands cheerily. “How about I make us a strong cup of tea?”

Obito could only nod, and together, they made their way into his apartment. Minato instantly busied himself with preparing the tea, while Obito made himself comfortable on one of his kitchen chairs. He was sitting cross-legged, his fingers plucking on a loose thread in his sleeve and neither of them was speaking. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, it never was, and only when Minato had sat down across from him, two steaming cups of tea between them, did Obito dare to say something.

“Why are you here?” 

Obito’s voice was still raspy from not using it and his emotional outburst a few minutes ago. He took a careful sip of his tea and watched his sensei. It was strange to see the dangerous but lovely man in his home, and Obito could only remember one other time it had happened.

It had been shortly after the Kannabi-bridge mission, as Obito had limped through his flat with a broken leg and arm, not able to shower alone. It wasn’t something he was especially proud of and it was better not to dwell on it. Minato send him an encouraging smile, taking a sip of his tea too, before answering him. 

“I wanted to see how you’re doing. Kakashi told me what happened a few days ago.”

Obito let out a sigh, one of his hands brushing through his hair before coming to a rest on his neck. Naturally, Kakashi had told Minato about it. His friend was telling their sensei almost _everything_ , and sometimes Obito just forgot that Minato had taken Kakashi in after the mission which had almost ended their lives. 

Kakashi had been at a low point then, thinking that he wasn’t capable of being a shinobi and that he was constantly disappointing his team. Minato had worried immensely about the younger boy, they all had, and it needed an intervention from Kushina for Minato to finally do something. The two young adults had just packed all of Kakashi’s things one day, unequivocally telling him that he now had a new home. 

But Obito didn’t have an answer for Minato’s question which wouldn’t break his heart, because he could hardly tell him that he contemplated suicide ten minutes ago. And so, his only option was to shrug his shoulders unintelligently and Minato let out an amused humming sound. Sometimes Obito got the feeling that his sensei could read minds. (If not him, Kushina definitely could.)

“Would it make you feel better when I tell you that your clan – head handled the girl?”

Now, that definitely caught Obito’s attention and he send a questioning glance his sensei’s way.

“Your cousin – Itachi, was it? – apparently he came home a few days ago, tears in his eyes and told Fugaku about your – misery. It seemed like your little cousin was rightfully asking himself how Rukia could get her hands on such a private possession. Fugaku asked himself the same and investigated personally.”

Obito’s eyes grew big – never in his sixteen years of life had Fugaku Uchiha cared about his well-being one bit. To hear that his clan-head had done something to punish the one responsible for Obito’s humiliation was strangely satisfying but also quite weird. Obito simply didn’t expect it. 

“Rukia Uchiha is momentarily suspended from active duty for the village and I assume she’ll have to apologize formally to you on the next clan meeting.”

Obito’s mouth formed an O-shape, and he didn’t know how to respond to his sensei’s words. It was satisfying to know that Rukia didn’t get away with her bullying this time, but still – half the village had heard what Obito dreamt about and what was keeping him up at night, and even the combined forces of Minato and Fugaku couldn’t just erase that from people’s minds.

“How about you join me and Kushina for dinner tonight? She misses you,” Minato’s eyes were sparkling fondly at his words and Obito busied himself with taking a large sip of tea before he was crying once again. 

He couldn’t help but think about Minato’s offer though – he wasn’t ready to face the village yet again, thoughts of people pointing fingers at him while laughing clouding his mind. But he could spend an evening with people he trusted, couldn’t he? He _knew_ that neither Minato nor Kushina would make fun of him. 

“Will –“ Obito swallowed heavily around the lump in his throat. “Will Kakashi be there, too?”

Minato nodded once, and of course Kakashi would be there, what was Obito thinking? Minato was calmy sipping his tea across from him, not pressuring Obito into a decision immediately and Obito was thankful for that. He tried sorting out his thoughts and feelings, fingers clinging to the warm mug standing in front of him. He could live with facing Minato and Kushina, the both of them were practically his parents for kami’s sake. But Kakashi? The boy heard everything and Obito knew for a fact that Kakashi didn’t just forget things. Sometimes he even thought that his friend had an eidetic memory or some shit, and Obito’s sharingan sitting in Kakashi’s skull only made it worse. 

On the other hand – Kakashi hadn’t made a comment about the cursed list as he had visited him this afternoon. Actually, the boy hadn’t acted much differently than before the catastrophe and as Obito had peeked out of his blankets, he had even thought for a moment that Kakashi had looked a bit hurt at being ignored. 

Obito knew that their friendship was still unsteady, that the bond between them they had so delicately formed over the last months was still as thin as ice and he - _he actually missed him_. He missed Kakashi’s annoying eye-smile, his apple – ozone – weapon’s oil scent and his ridiculous cuddly dogs. Oh yes, Obito was in too deep.

With one last sigh and a too fast beating heart as he thought of his silver-haired friend, Obito finally looked up at his smiling sensei.

“Do I have still time for a shower?”

Minato’s blue eyes were sparkling as he nodded in affirmation and Obito’s lips were twitching into an almost smile as he jumped up to take a much-needed shower.

___

The small kitchen in the Uzumaki/Namikaze household was one of Obito’s favorite places on earth. It was always smelling like honey and green tea, little sweet treats were always placed on the wooden table and since Obito had set a foot in here for the very first time, it had felt just like _home_.

Currently he was sitting cross-legged on the battered old blue couch, a mug of tea in front of him while he watched Kushina dancing through the kitchen as she prepared their dinner. Obito loved to watch the fiery woman – she always seemed to dance and float when she was doing something, and there always was an ethereal glow around her. 

To Obito’s delight she was making one of his favorite dishes tonight – soba noodles with fried shrimps – and Obito couldn’t help but revel in the warm feeling which was spreading through his chest. It was already dark outside, the only thing Obito could see through the kitchen window, the dim orange light of the street lanterns. 

As he had made his way into Minato’s house half an hour ago, he had been instantly engulfed in a warm, too strong hug and he had felt the tension from the last days falling from his shoulders. Nothing was more soothing than one of Kushina’s infamous hugs, and Obito was glad that he had decided to accompany Minato for dinner. 

Kushina had pulled him inside with a strong hold on his wrist, pushing him into his favorite spot on the couch and Obito smiled the whole time as he watched his sensei and his wife cooking. It warmed his insides to see them exchange fleeting touches, to see how they whispered sweet words into each other’s ears, and Obito couldn’t help but wish to share such tender intimacy with someone, too. 

It came as no surprise to him that Kakashi choose this moment to make an appearance in the small kitchen. Obito watched his friend as he gave Kushina a kiss on the cheek and greeted his sensei with an eye-smile. His friend’s hair was even more messy than usual, his bare arms still sporting a few muddy spots from the training grounds and Obito wondered when his friend had grown _this tall_. 

There were only a few centimeters left before he was even taller than their sensei and it was doing strange things to Obito’s insides. He squirmed on his seat as something twisted in his stomach and Kakashi was stopping in his tracks as his eyes finally fell on Obito.

“You’re not hidden under blankets anymore.”

Obito rolled his eyes, a snort leaving his lips as Kushina swatted Kakashi over the head. 

“I am not.”

“Well, that’s – good, I suppose.”

Obito only hummed, his heart skipping a beat as Kakashi gave him one of his genuine smiles. Obito had needed years to spot the difference, but when Kakashi was smiling in earnest his mask was being stretched the tiniest bit. Kakashi was rounding the table, falling into the empty space beside him. Obito’s hands were getting sweaty where he fiddled with the hem of his shirt and – 

As kids they had easily fitted on the couch, even with Rin sitting between them, but now it was more than cramped. Kakashi wasn’t the only one who had grown up in the last years, after all. Where Kakashi had a lithe body, all long limbs and lean muscles, Obito was – well, broad. Rin, as well as Kushina, weren’t getting tired of telling him how broad his shoulders and chest had become, how _buff_ he was now, because of living with Minato’s strict training schedule for years. 

Obito had to suppress a snicker as Kakashi was desperately trying to put his legs under the table, but he instantly regretted it as Kakashi decided to just sit cross-legged, too. His knee was pressing against Obito’s thigh and he was so _close_ \- 

Obito could smell the salty sweat on his skin, the unmistakable apple scent of his hair and Obito flushed all over as he caught himself leaning even nearer. Kakashi didn’t notice, thankfully, as he was currently telling Minato all about his earlier training. 

The voices of his chosen family were washing over him as Obito was leaning back in his seat and sitting here – next to the people he trusted and held dear to his heart – it didn’t seem so difficult to set a foot inside the village again. Maybe he could do it and maybe it wouldn’t be too bad when these three would have his back. 

They ate their dinner mostly in silence, only interrupted when Obito or Kakashi were asking for another serving, and Kakashi’s knee was still pressed against his thigh. The little spot where they touched was almost burning by now, and Obito’s hands were itching to feel the soft cotton of Kakashi’s pants.

“Are there any leftovers by chance?” Kakashi asked, one of his hands brushing through his unruly silver hair. Kami, how Obito wanted to brush it, too. He was mesmerized by the display, eyes glued to the other’s bicep and he was only able to look away as Kushina cleared her throat. Heat was rising up his cheeks as he caught sight of Minato’s smirking face and Obito scowled as the older man wriggled with his eyebrows suggestively. 

“There are,” Kushina answered, startling Obito from his staring-match with sensei. “Should I pack it for lunch tomorrow?”

Kakashi was shaking his head. “Actually, I wanted to bring Rin something to eat. She’s doing double-shifts again.”

Kushina was smiling at the younger boy, already jumping up to prepare a bento box for the brown-haired girl. Obito himself was shell-shocked. He was sure that he had to be gaping like a fish by now, but – Kakashi had never done this before. 

The silver-haired boy wasn’t _nice_. Well, maybe he was, sometimes when it was just the three of them on missions, but this? This was something totally new and Obito wanted, no needed, to know where it suddenly came from. Did he miss something while he was busy hiding in his cocoon of blankets? _Since when was Kakashi bringing Rin lunch?_

Obito was furrowing his brows, his eye going back to his friend who was currently gulping down the remnants of his tea. He was studying Kakashi, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. He was looking the same as ever, well, except that he had taken down his mask and – wait. 

Kakashi wasn’t wearing his mask.

Obito’s eye grew big. Never before had he seen his friend without his mask, and he wanted to scream because he was only noticing it _now_. And apparently, he had let out a squeaking sound because Kakashi was turning to him, raising one perfect silver eyebrow in question and Obito _could see his face_.

Kami, but Kakashi was so, so pretty. His face was flawless, porcelain skin and sinful rosy lips, a sharp jawline and a cute little mole right under his mouth. Obito wanted to look at Kakashi forever, wanted to touch the mole and trace the beautiful lines of a face he never saw before. 

Obito couldn’t get enough of that face, but to his absolute displeasure Kakashi was already pulling up his mask again and entangling his limbs to stand up. Obito watched, still silent and with a blush on his cheeks, as Kakashi was grabbing the filled bento box from Kushina’s hands, just to leave the house with one last eye-smile in Obito’s direction. 

Obito stared at the door Kakashi just vanished through, and it needed Kushina kicking him against the shins to break him out of his trance. 

“Since when is Kakashi bringing Rin lunch?”

“Since now, I guess?” Kushina was shrugging her shoulders, beginning to clear the table from their dishes. 

“But why?” Obito knew that he was almost squealing again. But he was at an absolute loss how to interpret his friend’s new behaviour and with big eyes he looked from Minato to Kushina and back again. They had to know why Kakashi was doing this, they always knew everything.

“Did something happen in the last days?” Obito couldn’t help but ask, and Kushina and his sensei were having a whole silent conversation directly in front of him. Obito was squirming on his seat as he waited for someone to answer him, and finally Kushina let her gaze rest on Obito again, a small smile playing on her lips.

“He is _nice_ to Rin, Obito.”

Obito stared at her. He noticed that too, he wasn’t dumb. Its why he _asked_ them what all that was about, after all. Kushina let out a sigh.

“I’ll repeat it one more time, Obito. _Kakashi is nice to Rin._.”

And then it hit Obito – Kakashi was nice to Rin. Kakashi, who was never going out of his way to be nice to anyone, was suddenly _making an effort_. This could only mean one thing and Obito could feel his heart shattering into a thousand pieces in his chest. 

Kakashi was in love with Rin and there was nothing Obito could do about it.


	3. A pocket full of sweets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](https://obitoforpresident.tumblr.com/) _or_ [discord](https://discord.gg/WC6QQpmFgH).

Obito spent the week following the dinner at Minato’s with having a careful eye on his two former teammates. He was still confused about Kakashi’s sudden change in behaviour and after he had put some band aids on his broken heart, he had decided to investigate. Was Kakashi really in love with Rin? Why was he so _nice?_ It was irritating to see Kakashi giving that much attention to his other best friend, and maybe Obito was a teeny-tiny bit jealous. 

He wasn’t accustomed to seeing Kakashi going out of his way to make the day of someone else better, and even if he could see that Rin liked Kakashi’s new habits, Obito did not. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand Rin being happy – Obito wouldn’t complain too if he would get blessed with the pleasure of eating Kushina’s delicious food on a daily basis. But –

Something wasn’t sitting right with him. It needed five brought lunches until Obito was finally fed up with it all.

He was visiting Rin on one of her lunch breaks, the only time of the day they could spend together nowadays, and Obito had just become witness of another Kakashi – bento box – Rin debacle. He just couldn’t get his head around it. Kakashi had never bothered with visiting Rin before when they didn’t were on missions together and with all three of them now Jonin, those missions were quite rare.

Obito was stuck on patrol this month, same as Kakashi, and Rin had her daily duties in the hospital. He was still astonished how far his brown-haired friend had come in her medical training already, and while he was unbelievable happy for her it also made him think about his own future and how he didn’t have the slightest plan what to do with it. 

Another downside to being a Jonin, besides being forced to muse if he wanted to specify himself in one field of missions, was that he couldn’t meet his two friends as much as he liked anymore. They were all busy working and living their own life’s, and only when Minato requested their company on his own missions, could he spend more than a few minutes with Rin and Kakashi. 

Needless to say, Obito _missed_ them. He missed Kakashi’s dripping sarcasm, Rin’s chiming laughter and just their constant presence at his side. Even when he was jealous that Rin was getting lunch from the guy, he had a massive crush on. 

Obito and Rin were sitting in the cafeteria of the hospital, the smell of disinfectant heavy in the air and making Obito itch in his own skin. Since he had to spent weeks in here after the Kannabi-mission, he normally made a wide berth around the building. 

Rin was currently happily munching on the fresh salad Kakashi had brought her, while Obito was busying himself with twirling a spoon in his coffee. He couldn’t help but to eye Rin’s salad with pure envy, and he cursed Kakashi for not bringing _him_ lunch. 

“So –“ Obito began markedly uninterested. “What’s going on between you and Kakashi?”

Rin popped a cherry-tomato into her mouth, chewing slowly while staring at him intently from chocolate-brown eyes. Obito was squirming on his seat, her intense gaze sending shivers down his spine and he decided that maybe it would be a better idea to look down at the tabletop instead.

“What do _you_ think is going on?”

Obito grimaced at Rin’s counter question. He knew that it was her way to expose Obito’s real intentions and sometimes he hated that she knew him so well, that she knew that he wouldn’t ask such a question if he didn’t have an ulterior motive. But he didn’t _want_ to tell her. 

“He’s bringing you lunch every day.”

Rin only hummed, her eyes sparkling mischievously while Obito listened to the crunching sound of salad between her teeth. His grip on his spoon tightened the longer the silence between them went on and why was she like this? He was sure that she already figured out why he was asking anyway, and it was just _so mean_ that she let him fidget. 

Wasn’t it enough that people were still giggling as soon as they saw him?

His first day back on active duty had been a literal nightmare and for once Obito wasn’t exaggerating. As soon as he had stepped a foot in the break-room for active Jonin, he was being harassed by wriggling eyebrows, suggestive hand moves and mocking laughter. He had been uncomfortable as hell, his face resembling a ripe tomato and he had wished for hell to swallow him up as Genma had asked him if Obito wanted to spend the night with him and a bottle of strawberry-flavored lube.

He hadn’t even known how to answer _that_ offer and had been short of going home again, but then he had spotted Kakashi sitting on one of the various couches and had thought better of it. They hadn’t seen much of each other in the last days after all and Obito missed to just _look_ at his silver-haired friend. 

With a heated face he had sat down next to his friend, Kakashi not once bothering to look up from his book. Only when Obito didn’t stop squirming next to him, a grey eye had pinned him on his spot. Kakashi had planted his feet in Obito’s lap, telling him that he should just ignore the rest of the bunch and that was that. 

With the human protective barrier that was Kakashi Hatake, no one had dared to make fun of Obito again and he could finally relax again. To his utmost delight his next night-shifts on patrol were at the Hatake’s side and that meant that Obito wouldn’t have to suffer from his comrade’s mocking any longer. _The little things._

But back to the matter at hand – Obito had to know if something was going on between his two best friends. He needed to know if his heart would shatter into a thousand pieces in the next weeks, or if he could dare to dream again. Needless to say, Obito hadn’t bothered with asking Kakashi. The silver-haired teen was closed off on a good day and Obito could clearly imagine how a discussion about feelings would go down between them – with Obito hunting down Kakashi after he fled without another word.

Obito tried to gather another ounce of courage, looking up from his coffee and at his best friend who was still eating her salad without a care in the world. Determined to get the answers he wanted, he furrowed his brows and tried to look intimidating. 

“You know, I thought we were _best friends_.”

“We are,” Rin answered easily enough, her tiny fingers drumming on the table. Ugh, _why did she have to make this so hard_.

“Best friends tell each other everything.”

“They do.”

Rin was furrowing her brows now, the drumming sound of her fingers getting louder and Obito knew that she was slowly losing her patience with him. Obito decided that it was best to get it out now – he wasn’t keen on dodging kunai while sprinting through the village again.

“So, why didn’t you tell me that there’s something going on between you and Kakashi?”

“Because there isn’t?”

Obito groaned at Rin’s answer, his forehead hitting the wooden surface of the table repeatedly. He couldn’t figure out if Rin was just making fun of him, if she was making this so hard to just to get a rise out of him _or_ if there was really nothing between Kakashi and her. A soft touch of a tiny hand on his own let him hum in question. 

“Obito, please look at me,” Rin demanded and carefully Obito lifted up his head. Rin was smiling at him, pink lips stretched into something fond and amused, and her brown eyes were sparkling as if she just figured something out herself.

“Believe me when I say that there’s nothing going on between me and Kakashi. We’re friends, good ones, and that’s it.”

“But he’s bringing you _lunch_ ,” Obito couldn’t stress this fact enough.

“Are you saying I don’t deserve to have a nice meal once in a while? You know how disgusting the food here is.”

Obito scrunched up his nose as he remembered the hospital food. Rin had a point there.

“But –“

“No _but’s_ , Obito! I don’t know what you think is going on here, but all that’s happening is that Kakashi brings me lunch and is asking if he should feed my cat when I’m on a sudden double-shift again. I don’t have romantic feelings for him for years now, _what you certainly know_ and I’m very sure that I’m nothing more than a friend for him, too.”

The finality in her voice told Obito that maybe he had gone a touch too far. He knew that Rin wasn’t feeling that way for Kakashi anymore, but – his brain had the tendency to overdo it once in a while and now he felt nothing more than sorry that he assumed Rin wouldn’t tell him the truth.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Rin hummed, her hand petting his.

“Why do you care so much anyway?”

Rin was examining him, her eyes roaming up and down over his form, and Obito could feel heat creeping up his cheeks. He didn’t want Rin to know why he had been so worried in the first place. No, no, _no_. He knew that it was a bit hypocritical from him, but he wasn’t ready to face her amused and pitiful laughter. There was also the point that Rin would definitely begin with _meddling_ and he couldn’t need that. 

It was a given that Kakashi wasn’t feeling the same way as Obito, and he didn’t need anyone trying to tell him otherwise.

Pointedly, he looked at his watch, jumping up with a big false grin on his face.

“Would you look at the time,” he said in a shrill voice, ignoring Rin’s eye-roll. “I’m late to the – the thing, yes!”

Obito couldn’t come up with an excuse fast enough, but it didn’t matter. Rin was taking on her interrogation face right now and Obito was better off with getting out of there as fast as possible. With another grin, he pressed a kiss on her cheek and in a swirl of leaves he shunshined to the other end of the village.

That had been a close call.

___

The night was calm and cloudless, the dim light of the stars and the moon highlighting the path Obito just walked along. He had just slowed down from his run, a light sheen of sweat clinging to his neck. With a sigh and a content feeling in his chest from his run, he sat down on one the many posts which were littering the stone wall surrounding Konoha.

It was his second night of patrol, and even if it was a perfect opportunity to train while working, Obito was bored out of his mind. He was so bored in fact, that he had just pursued a poor and frightened rabbit.

It had been the first time in _hours_ , that Obito had heard something else than the low chatter of other guards on duty, and in his excitement, he hadn’t realized that the sound of crunching grass was coming from a rabbit searching for some food. As he had been standing at the edge of the forest, rabbit hanging from his hand where he had grabbed it at its tail, he had been frustrated as hell and it didn’t help in the slightest that Kakashi had laughed at him for the eternity of a few minutes.

Fucking rabbits.

Speaking of Kakashi – his silver-haired friend had joined him at the post, sitting down on the floor and his back resting against Obito’s legs as he opened a familiar orange book. Obito couldn’t believe that Kakashi really wanted to try reading in the moonlight. Was he really such bad company?

“You’ll get a headache if you try reading in the dim light,” Obito muttered, and absently he began petting Kakashi’s messy mop of silver-hair. Kakashi only answered with a low humming sound and Obito let out a sigh. He knew better than to fight with Kakashi over his books. More often than not he even liked it that his friend wasn’t talking much – it gave Obito more time to fill the silence with mindless chatter himself – but in moments like these, where he was stuck with such mindless work like running patrol around the village, Kakashi’s silence was nothing more than a massive pain in his ass.

“ _Kakashi,_ ” he stressed out every syllable of his friend’s name, tugging on a few strands of hair to get his attention. And Kami, did Obito ever mention that he was in love with Kakashi’s hair? It was so unbelievable fluffy, way softer than it looked and Obito was glad for every opportunity he got to brush his fingers through it.

It had always been one of the few bodily contacts Kakashi didn’t mind and it was a common sight to see the Hatake lying on the couch in the Namikaze’s home, his head in Kushina’s lap while she petted the mess Kakashi called hair. Only two years ago did Obito dare to do it himself for the first time. 

Obito had been mesmerized with his friend and how his eyes had instantly closed as Obito touched the first tangle of hair. His friend had nearly _purred_ at his touch, and it didn’t need long for Obito to sport a various obvious problem. Teenage hormones were a definite pain. Sometimes, Obito wondered if Kakashi’s love for getting his head petted, had something to do with dog summons. The dogs liked nothing more than a few good scratches, after all, and maybe it was the only form of showing affection Kakashi had ever learned about.

“Kakashi,” Obito tried again, and he knew that he succeeded in his quest of gaining attention, as Kakashi closed his book with a heavy sigh. 

“What?”

“I’m bored,” Obito answered promptly, his nails scratching over Kakashi’s scalp and eliciting a shiver out of the younger boy.

“How can you be bored, crybaby? We’re on patrol.”

Obito only stared at his friend, well at the back of Kakashi’s head to be exact, and it only needed a few moments of silence between them until Kakashi threw his hands up in defeat. It was too easy to rile him up sometimes. 

“Okay, yes. It’s boring. Patrol is boring. What do you suggest we do?”

Obito was humming to himself, a finger tapping against his chin while he thought about Kakashi’s question. The fingers of his other hand never stopped in their exploration of Kakashi’s hair, though, and he couldn’t stop a smile from spreading over his face as Kakashi let out a few pleased sounds at being scratched. Only when Kakashi laid his head back just right, soft moonlight reflecting in silver hair, did Obito took his fingers back, the sudden urge to bury his nose in soft locks too overwhelming.

“How about a race?” Obito prayed to all the Kami that Kakashi would just ignore the crack in his voice. Kakashi was jumping up, Obito’s hand tingling as his friend grabbed it to pull him onto his feet, too. Kami, he missed the times in which not every single touch send a fire through his veins.

“One round or two?”

“One,” Obito answered and Kakashi nodded in affirmation. Determination was settling over the Hatake’s features and Obito knew that the same expression was settling over his own features. They both were nothing if not competitive, even if their rivalry was nothing against Kakashi’s various contests against Gai.

“On three,” Obito said, Kakashi sending a wink his way, which made his heart flutter. “One – two – three!”

The two of them were racing along the wall, their comrades which were stuck on patrol with them not even batting an eyelash as they were basically flying past them, and Obito’s heart was hammering in his chest. He could already see the post from which they started again, and he was only a hairs breadth away from winning.

He was squealing in delight as he touched the post first, grinning widely at his friend who watched him out of an amused sparkling eye. It wasn’t often that Obito was beating Kakashi in a race and he would savor the sweet taste of victory as long as he could.

“Where’s my price, Bakakashi?”

They were sitting down again, this time next to each other, their eyes focused on the forest behind the wall. He listened to Kakashi searching for something in his pocket and curious he gazed at his friend’s outstretched hand. His mouth formed an O-shape as he saw the familiar yellow wrapping of his favorite sweets, and smiling he took the pineapple-flavored candy from Kakashi’s hand.

“Since when do you carry sweets with you?”

Kakashi was looking at him, his grey eye burning holes into Obito’s face as if he was waiting for Obito to understand _something_. Obito didn’t have the slightest clue what his friend wanted to silently tell him, and he only raised an eyebrow in question. As Kakashi said nothing Obito only shrugged to himself. If Kakashi wasn’t coming out with it himself, maybe Obito had just imagined the expression on his face.

“Say Kakashi,” Obito said after a while, Kakashi watching him intently. What was wrong with his friend today? “Do you have another by chance?”

Obito ignored the defeated look on Kakashi’s face from which he didn’t know what caused it, and he spent the rest of their shift with munching his favorite sweets.

___

“ _Ugh_ , how much longer do we have to stand here?” Obito groaned, lifting his weight from one foot to the other. He was tired from his nightly patrols, and frankly, he didn’t want to stand here – doing nothing – any longer. But apparently, it was required that the shinobi of the Village were standing in formation when a new Hokage was to be announced. Nobody cared that Obito _didn’t want to_.

It wasn’t as if he wasn’t happy that they were finally getting rid of the old fart. Obito didn’t like Hiruzen Sarutobi in the slightest and he had never made a secret out of it. Kakashi and Rin had to suffer too many times listening to his hate-filled speeches, and it was about time that someone younger was taking over. Obito couldn’t wait for someone to finally reform the outdated rules and regulations of the village. 

“Do you know who it is?” Obito asked Kakashi, who was standing on his right, nose once again stuck in one of his perverted books. His friend only shrugged his shoulders at Obito’s question, but there was a short moment in which Obito thought the younger teen was grinning brightly. With a sigh Obito turned to his other side, his dark eyes burning holes into Rin’s tiny form.

“ _Rin_ ,” he whined, in hopes of getting her attention, but the brown-haired girl was busy staring at something or _someone_ , and Obito couldn’t stop himself from getting curious. Whatever Rin was looking at seemed to be very interesting and everything was better than to stand here doing nothing. 

He leaned further into Rin’s side, losing his balance as he was standing on his tiptoes, but Kakashi’s hand already had a tight grip on his flak vest. He pulled Obito back onto his feet, petting his shoulders a few times, and Obito rubbed his neck sheepishly. Rin, meanwhile, was glaring daggers at him.

“I hate you,” she murmured.

“You don’t,” Obito smiled back and snickering he watched as Rin rolled her eyes, turning her face back into the direction she had looked at. The slightest twitch of her lips told him that she wasn’t really angry at him, but he didn’t dare risk losing his balance again to see who she was ogling.

“Couldn’t they at least have chosen a cloudier day?”

Obito couldn’t help but complain loudly about the burning heat of the summer sun and next to him a book snapped close. Internally he was smiling to himself. Finally, one of his friends was giving him at least a bit of attention. 

“Obito,” Kakashi said in his most aggravated tone of voice. “Will you please stop annoying anyone around you when I give you something sweet to chew on?” 

Obito raised an eyebrow in question, his cheeks flushing at the innuendo of Kakashi’s words. He – Kakashi didn’t meant it like that, did he? Seems like he didn’t, because seconds later one of his favorite sweets, a cherry-flavored lollipop, was appearing in front of his eyes.

“You’re the best friend in the world, Bakakashi,” Obito breathed out, snagging the sweet treat right out of Kakashi’s grip before his friend could even blink. Carelessly, Obito crammed the wrapping into one of his pockets, a happy sound leaving his lips as he got his first taste of the sweet treasure in his hand. 

Like a couple of nights before, Kakashi was looking at him as if he was waiting for something to click, but Obito only threw him another questioning glance. Kakashi shook his head at him, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process and on Obito’s other side Rin was doing the same. 

“Oh, Obito,” she finally sighed out, but right in the moment as Obito wanted to ask what he had done wrong this time, the third Hokage was stepping up on the podium. 

Obito didn’t bother listening to Hiruzen’s words, instead he was munching and scrunching happily on his candy. Only when a familiar face was suddenly standing next to the old man, did Obito nearly choke on his lollipop. Kakashi was hitting his back a few times while laughing at him, and with blurry eyes Obito watched as his favorite blonde sensei, one of his most precious people in the world, was taking the Hokage’s hat. 

Obito was cheering as loudly as anyone else when the fourth Hokage of Konoha was waving at them, blue eyes sparkling with excitement and a bright grin on his face.

___

Obito was lying on the roof of his apartment building, limbs stretched out leisurely, as the sun was slowly going down over the village. A few weeks had passed since Minato’s made Hokage and Obito just came back from a clan-meeting. He was in high-spirits since then and a bright smile was adorning his face.

The clan-meeting had been a blast – not only did Fugaku made it clear that a rebellion was no longer part of discussion (Obito had snickered at the crestfallen faces of the elders), but he had also told them that he was currently working at the side of Minato to integrate more Uchiha on the active rosters for missions. 

The Uchiha will be no longer forced to work in the police force, and Minato had already passed a law which allowed every clan member to rent an apartment or house _outside_ of the clan compound. He wasn’t the only one cheering and it had been a nice feeling to see his stoic uncle smiling softly.

To make Obito’s afternoon even better: Rukia, his cousin, had been forced to apologize to him, in front of the whole clan. She had done so, face twisted into a sneer, but it was better than nothing. Fugaku had told him after the meeting that she was still banned from duty, and Obito could finally try to lock that terrible day away from his mind. 

An influx of crackling chakra next to him made Obito smile even brighter, and he didn’t bother with opening his eyes as Kakashi was lying down next to him. Their arms were pressed together, Obito’s heart skipping a beat, and he couldn’t help but to wish that they could lay like this more often.

“How was the clan-meeting?”

“Good,” Obito hummed, enjoying Kakashi’s body-heat next to him. It wasn’t cold outside, but you could feel that the summer was slowly coming to an end. The trees surrounding Konoha were already colored in various shades of orange and yellow, and it wouldn’t need long, until they could welcome the first storms of the season.

“Did you get your apology?”

“Indeed, I got it,” Obito grinned, rolling onto his side to watch his friends face bathed in the last rays of sunshine. Kakashi was pretty like that, and Obito had to ball his hands into fists before he did something as ridiculous as tracing Kakashi’s features with his fingers. 

“That’s good,” Kakashi sighed, and for a moment Obito was overwhelmed with the sheer attractiveness of his friend. He wanted to say _something_ , do something bold as intertwining their hands, but naturally that was the moment Obito’s stomach decided to growl loudly. Kakashi let out a snort and Obito closed his eyes for a moment. 

“Here,” Kakashi murmured and Obito didn’t even question it as Kakashi held out one of Obito’s favorite chocolate-bars. He happily ate his treat, while Kakashi was watching the clouds next to him, and with a smile on his face Obito thought that Kakashi having sweets for him in his pockets was definitely nicer than getting lunch every day.


	4. a joke for you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait & that this is so short & ugh, I don’t even know what to say. The next chapter will have more fluff and depth and everything, I promise.

Autumn has arrived and with it the overall smell of warm cacao, chestnuts and rainy storms. On this Tuesday morning, the sun was shining softly and it was a welcome break from the harsh rainfall of the previous night. 

Colorful leaves were fluttering in the wind as Obito skipped over puddles littering the streets, and he knew that he was already five minutes late to his meeting with the Hokage. But Obito just had to help the old lady living next door to him, her various bags from the market too heavy for her to carry. 

Obito never could say no to requests for his help, and he knew that he had his grandmother to thank for that. She had always told him that good things will happen to those helping others in need, and so Obito did his best to make his grandmother proud.

He was helping elderly ladies to carry bags or to clean their floors, he took his time to play with the kids of tired mothers, and he could often be found catching missing cats outside of simple D-rank missions.

Needless to say, Obito never regretted his helpful actions. He was well-liked in the village he called his home, he always had someone to go to when his fridge was once again empty after a long mission and he was in dire need of a home-cooked meal, and he knew that it would come to his aid should his dream of being Hokage ever come true. 

Lowly whistling to himself, Obito entered the tower with his hands deeply buried in his pockets, and a smile on his lips for everyone passing him on the staircase. His public humiliation was almost forgotten over the announcement of a new Hokage and he was quite thankful for that. 

It still blew his mind that his former sensei was the Hokage now, that Minato was now the most powerful shinobi in the village and Obito just couldn’t not notice how wonderfully the village was blooming under the blonde man's reign. 

Under Minato, Konoha was blooming like a newly planted flower, and to everyone’s surprise it was Fugaku Uchiha who helped to plant new seeds all around. Minato had named the Uchiha-patriarch his advisor, and even if many were sceptical in the beginning they learned to set their trust in a clan who was being shunned for years. 

Obito himself was a bit disappointed that he didn’t get to see the elders' faces as Minato made his announcement but Kushina had told him about the meeting in all its destructive glory. Apparently they had screamed and kicked like little children, but to no avail.

It wasn’t a secret that the elders and Danzo wanted to ban the Uchiha from the village - the clan compound being moved to the edge of town one proving point - and Obito had always asked himself what their motives were. Was it because of their power? The curse of their clan?

Some people thought it was because of the elders' former sensei, Senju Tobirama, but every Uchiha knew that that was all a bunch of bullshit. There was more than one painting littering various clan-meeting-rooms which were showing Madara and Tobirama arm in arm, smitten smiles adorning their faces. 

So, the only option left was envy and fear for the Uchiha’s kekkai genkai. 

Standing in front of the door his former teacher sat behind, Obito shook off every thought of the old farts and entered the office without bothering to knock. Minato’s ANBU guard wouldn’t harm him, already familiar with his disrespectful habits, and even if Minato was the Hokage now - _Obito’s respect for authorities was only going so far._

“Obito, how nice of you to finally grace us with your presence.”

It wasn’t Minato speaking to him, the voice too heavy scented with annoyance and irritation, and well - Minato was currently busy hiding his amusement behind one of his hands.

Obito looked up into the face of his uncle, the Uchiha-patriarch's expression telling him that the older man was contemplating skinning him alive for such a blatant display of disrespect. 

„I’m glad to hear you missed me so much, Fugaku! Always nice to know that I’m your favorite,“ Obito grinned cheekily at the older man. 

For a short moment of time Obito thought that steam would come out of Fugaku's ears, and he looked around the room as he could hear a quiet snicker. Obito's heart skipped a beat as he saw Kakashi sitting in one of the guest chairs, lanky legs folded under his body and a grey eye sparkling at him. 

„Just sit down, Obito,“ Minato ordered softly, but there was an edge to his voice, just the slightest bit of authority in his words to remind Obito that even if he was his former student and practically family, he was still a Jonin of the village he decided to serve.

Instead of saying yet another cheeky remark, Obito bit down on his tongue and sat silently down in the chair next to his silver-haired friend. Fugaku was shaking his head, definitely asking himself _how_ Obito was an Uchiha. 

It wasn’t as if Obito wouldn’t be asking himself the same thing on a regular basis.

„I, or better said we, wanted to talk with you both about your career,“ Minato began, blue eyes sparkling with fondness and pride, and Obito straightened up in his chair, interest piqued. „You both know that Rin already picked her path in the medical field, a profession which fits her perfectly, if I may say so.“

Kakashi and Obito were both nodding along to their sensei‘s words, Obito's heart warming as he heard the hidden compliment for their female friend in his words. And indeed - his friend had found the little niche in their work which made her the happiest, which would make her more than successful and even if he was a bit envious about her finding, he was happy for her. 

„You both have reached the rank of a Jonin easily enough, and I couldn’t help but to ask myself if that is all you wanted to achieve or if you both would be willing to work for - well, more.“

Obito was squirming on his seat, nervousness crawling through his body and making him restless. Of course, he had contemplated reaching for _more,_ as Minato had so nicely put it. But - he wasn’t sure if he was ready, if he would be willing to give up his missions and nightly patrols with Kakashi, even if he knew that it was wrong to depend on the silver-haired boy so much. 

He looked to his left where Kakashi was sitting. His posture hadn’t changed in the slightest and his facial expression was thoroughly unimpressed. His one grey eye was calmly resting on their Hokage‘s form, and his arms were crossed in front of his chest. 

„You want us in ANBU,“ Kakashi stated suddenly, and Obito's eyes got wide. What the heck? Minato wanted the both of them in ANBU? He wanted them to fight next to the elite of Konoha‘s shinobi?

It wasn’t as if Obito had never dreamt about it before, as if he hadn’t watched shadows jumping over rooftops at night as a kid, and as if he hadn’t dreamt about hiding his face behind a porcelain mask. 

(There was a self made mask hidden under his bed but he wouldn’t ever admit it.)

Minato, meanwhile, was smiling brightly at Kakashi and Fugaku was drumming his fingers on his thigh. 

„Fugaku, Shikaku and I have reformed most of the organization by now. As you may have noticed - like most of the top Jonin of the village - Danzo wasn’t seen in the village for some time now.“

Yes, Obito had noticed. It wasn’t hard not to notice when a creepy old man wasn’t ogling your younger cousins anymore as if he wanted to devour them whole. The satisfied smile on his uncle's face told Obito enough to get a good idea what exactly had happened to the old crook. 

Finally some good news. 

Minato gave them time to let the information sink in before he continued with his speech. It was quiet in the office, the silence just broken from the occasional chirping bird in front of the window. 

„We decided that we‘ll put new recruits on a two-men-squad who are getting their own - mh, sensei is the wrong word in this case - _leader,_ who’ll show and teach you the handbook and who‘ll decide if you’re up for living in the shadows in the end.“

Obito was gaping like a fish right now but he couldn’t stop himself. Minato wanted him to be in ANBU. His former sensei was believing in Obito's strength, in his skills and never before did this happen to him. 

He was always the dead last in his clan, the clumsy loser who failed to unlock his sharingan. Even after the kannabi-accident they had looked down on him, ridiculed him for giving his most precious possession in the hands of an outsider. 

„You really suggested _us_?“ Obito finally asked, hands trembling and his voice cracking halfway. 

„Yes.“

Obito had a hard time not crying. His heart was filled to the brim with giddy, proud feelings about the fact that Minato really thought about letting him work with Konoha‘s best of the best. They were still young, Kakashi and him, his friend even younger than him and to get such a chance of promotion with not even eighteen was practically unheard of. 

„We also decided that you two work too well together to separate you, so if you should decide to take this chance, you two will form a squad,“ Minato continued and Obito's heart nearly combusted in his chest. How could he say no to this if he wouldn’t be separated from his best friend? Well, that’s to say if Kakashi didn’t decide that he had enough of Obito. 

„Who’ll be our leader?“ Kakashi asked, Obito blushing to the roots of his hair as his friend sent him one of his rare genuine smiles. 

Obito couldn’t believe this - Kakashi actually _wanted_ to stay at his side, wasn’t tired of him and his ramblings and it was doing strange things to Obito's stomach.

Minato was grinning at them then, bright and beautiful and like sunshine in the summer. But there was also a mean sparkle in his blue eyes and Obito felt fear sparking in his chest. 

„Come out now, darling,“ Fugaku muttered softly, Obito startled from the tone of his uncle's voice. He never heard the man this tender before, and it threw him a bit off guard. Obitos aunt Mikoto was stepping out of the shadows behind the Hokage‘s desk, and - 

Since when was his aunt in ANBU? He had always thought that his aunt was staying at home since she became a mother of two, but it seemed that Mikoto perfected the act of staying hidden. 

Mikoto‘s porcelain weasel mask was pushed up into her hair, and her lips were stretched into a soft smile as she looked at him. It nearly made him cry again, because usually that smile was reserved for Itachi and Sasuke, his two little cousins. 

He couldn’t believe that this woman, his aunt, shall become their ANBU leader. It wasn’t that he didn’t thought her capable, quite the opposite really, it was more that Obito had never thought that one of the Uchiha clan would be willing to work with him. 

And he knew that he and Kakashi couldn’t get any luckier- his aunt was strict and harsh at times, but she was fair and he knew that she would do her best to prepare them for everything that was to come. 

„We thought Mikoto would be a good fit for you two. She’s familiar with the sharingan, could even teach you one or two things in that regard, and I trust her to reign you two back in should you once again get over your head.“

Minato's eyes were sparkling fondly at his words, but Obito knew that it was also a reminder for the two of them that they were still young and had much to learn, even if they were Jonin. (Aside from that he knew that Kakashi _and_ him could get a bit full of themselves sometimes.)

„We’re going on our first mission tomorrow morning, and I expect you two to read the handbook beforehand,“ Mikoto said, throwing two books in their general direction and Obito was glad he caught it. It wouldn’t do to make a clumsy fool of himself five minutes after being offered a position in Konoha‘s elite. 

„We‘ll set off at three, not a single minute later,“ Mikoto continued, eyes stuck on Obito and he swallowed heavily, a _yes madame_ already on the tip of his tongue. 

„You’re both dismissed,“ Minato smiled and with a nod in his former sensei‘s direction Obito followed Kakashi out of the room. (Right out of the window, because Kakashi was still Kakashi even if they were one of the elite now.)

With a look down at his hand which was still holding the heavy handbook, Obito let out a pitiful moan. 

„There’s no way in hell that I’ll get this done in the few hours we have left,“ Obito complained. He wasn’t a big reader, his ability to focus on written words nearly non-existent. It was his biggest problem in school and the culprit for him being the dead-last for years. He just was more of a _hands on_ kind of learner. 

Kakashi was only humming at his words, grabbing his hand and seconds later they were standing in Kushina‘s kitchen. Kakashi was instantly planting himself on the blue couch, grey eye stuck on Obito. 

„You’ll make dinner,“ his friend ordered. „Kushina is currently on a mission and neither Minato or I can cook for shit. _I’m sick of ramen.“_

Obito was gaping at his friend, asking himself if he heard that right. He had just told the asshole that he didn’t know how to finish reading that massive handbook before their mission started, and here Kakashi was ordering him to make dinner. The audacity of this goddamn, too pretty idiot - 

„I’ll read the handbook out loud while you cook.“

His friend's last words were stopping Obito dead in his tracks. He wanted to say something but Kakashi had already begun to read the first chapter. Obito watched him for a few moments, his eye roaming over long slender fingers holding the book, over the revealed face which never failed to set his heartbeat in a frenzy and warmth was spreading through Obitos veins. 

Obito turned to the fridge, hands searching for something to eat while he listened to the deep baritone of Kakashi‘s voice and happiness filled his whole being at the thought that he wouldn’t have to do without his friends' presence at his side anytime soon. 

___

“Just cut through the damn wire, Obito,” Kakashi growled at him, voice deep and irritated, and if sweat wouldn’t be dripping down his forehead right now, and if they wouldn’t be sitting in a badly smelling sewer, Obito would have offered his whole body to Kakashi to devour. 

Kami, the growling tone of voice was doing things to Obito’s heartstrings (and libido), but he couldn’t, _really shouldn’t_ , focus on that right now. There was a wire in his hands after all, there were too many life’s on the line and Obito really should concentrate on what he was doing.

No matter how hot and sexy and bothered Kakashi sounded right now, no matter how Obito longed to hear his friend growling again just in a totally different setting. God, but Obito had it deep and maybe Obito should let himself get tested for idiocy like his uncle suggested once. 

Their first ANBU mission had begun easy enough. Obito had made it to the gates of Konoha, their meeting point, on time and he even had a minute to spare. Needless to say, Mikoto’s satisfied expression as he joined her and Kakashi at the gate had been dripping down his throat like warm honey and he couldn’t help but to grin proudly under her scrutinizing gaze.

The mission had continued going smoothly - he didn’t trip once on their way to the capital, he was all grace like a shinobi should be and even if he outright ignored Kakashi’s impressed mutterings, his insides were immensely flattered. 

With two of the most capable shinobi Konoha had ever seen at his side, they had gotten a hold of their targets in absolutely no time. Fighting the missing-nin had been easy enough, and both - Kakashi and Obito - were even a bit disappointed that their first mission wasn’t more demanding.

Needless to say, shit had gone down the drain after that. Well, that had been their own fault, really, and Obito was sure that it was all bad karma, which had them brought this absolute mess they were stuck in right now. 

It had only needed a loud laugh from one of their targets, one well-placed comment, and all three of them had groaned loudly as they had learned that there was a fucking bomb planted under the big plaza where the yearly autumn festival was taking place.

The missing-nin had spit out the truth and everything he knew after Kakashi had made it more than clear that they wouldn’t be fucked with - Mikoto had been thoroughly impressed and Obito had, maybe or most definitely, been a little bit hard in his pants - and now it was Obito’s time to shine.

He hadn’t questioned it as Mikoto had told him, that he would be the one taking care of the bomb. It wasn’t a secret that he was one of the best when it came to traps, and bombs and anything of that kind and she had sent Kakashi with him to take care of any other enemies they potentially missed.

Obito had always been good at deactivating ticking things. To be honest it had been the only thing he had really been good at at the academy, and his teachers had grown more than one grey hair at his various displays of destructive traps. Minato had always joked that he was glad that Obito was a shinobi of the leave, otherwise he would be a massive pain in his ass.

But all that wasn’t important now, because he was on a goddamn S-rank mission, he was expected to defuse a bomb and his mind was one big, blank space. 

_Fuck._

“Hey Obito?”

Kakashi's voice had lost its growling edge, to Obito’s dismay and relief and everything in between. It just wouldn’t do to be distracted, not now, not with a wire of which he didn’t know if it was the right one in his hands, and thousands of lives on his back. 

“What is it, Bakakashi?”

His friend was clearing his throat, a weirdly unfamiliar thing and Obito didn’t think that Kakashi had ever done it in his proximity, and his gaze was still stuck on the wire in his hands. He examined the other wires and he had nearly forgotten all about Kakashi’s question until the boy was talking again. 

“What happens when you witness a shipwreck?”

 _What?_ What was Kakashi on about now? Was that Kakashis genius code for what the fuck are you doing idiot? Was it a code Obito didn’t know about because he had never read the handbook and had to trust in Kakashi that he had read everything out loud?

“I don’t know?” Obito answered, confused as hell, and for the first time in the last five to ten minutes he actually looked up. Kakashi was leaning against one of the wet walls, ANBU mask casually pushed up into his messy hair. His exposed eye was twinkling, if with mirth or fondness Obito couldn’t tell. He was pretty like that, even in a stinking sewer and with mud and blood clinging to his clothes and Obito hated him. 

“You let it sink in,” Kakashi said then, in his most bored tone of voice and Obito couldn’t help but stare. He didn’t blink once as he stared, and stared, and stared at his friend, his comrade, who looked so fucking uncomfortable as Obito didn’t say a thing and then it hit Obito that Kakashi just told him the worst joke in history and Obito - well, he lost it. 

He laughed out loud, the echo of his booming laughter bouncing around them and with tears in his eye, Obito cut the wire in his hands without a single care in the world. He was still laughing as he was standing up again and as he had wiped away the wetness on his cheeks, he could see Kakashi smiling at him. 

“You did it,” the silver-haired boy said, and Obito looked at him dumbly before it dawned on him. His gaze roamed over and down to the defused bomb which was lying innocently on the ground, to the cut wire in his hand. 

“Huh, I guess I did,” he answered Kakashi unintelligently, and Kakashi patted his back. Obito didn’t know if the lingering touch on his back was intended, but he couldn’t care right now. He had just rescued one hell of a lot of people, his heart was fluttering in his chest and it didn’t even matter that it was all thanks to a bad joke. 

“Kakashi?”

“Yes?”

“I love this job,” Obito breathed out and from the corner of his eye he could see Kakashi smiling at him. 

“Me too, Obito.”

  
  
  
  
  



	5. once upon a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obito has feelings. So many feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> A big warm welcome to the fluffy times!

A low breeze was wafting through the trees and making Obito shiver on his sitting spot on the snow covered training grounds. The sky was a deep grey, a familiar sight in the winter months, and Obito couldn't be bothered in the slightest that his uniform will be soaked in the next five minutes or so. 

Instead of standing up to brush off the snow, Obito let himself fall backwards and a whooping sound was leaving his chapped lips. He amused himself by doing a snow angel, arms wiping up and down and his legs spreading and closing, and he did this only for old times sake, obviously. 

(Not for all the money in the world would Obito admit that he still loved to play in the snow. He still liked it as much as when he was a kid, but it just wouldn't do to outright say it. He was a grown-up shinobi, an _ANBU_ , and dangerous looking ninja’s didn't enjoy playing in the snow.)

Just as Obito was done creating the angel, the winter sun reached his chosen spot and was softly caressing his heated face. He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled deeply and cold fresh air was filling his lungs. Obito felt absolutely content in this moment, his body thrumming with energy despite his exhaustion. There was nothing - well, little - that he enjoyed more than an extended, draining training session. 

And such a session just lay behind him and even a blind man could see that Obito was absolutely knackered. Leave it to Kakashi to get Obito to climb new heights every time they trained together, and Obito knew that he wouldn't be such a good shinobi if it weren't for his silver-haired friend. 

They were almost evenly matched now, a feat which a ten year old Obito never dared to dream about, and the many hours Obito spent with Kakashi on the fields shortly outside of Konoha were always leaving Obito extremely exhausted. His body was hurting, his muscles burning but there was also satisfaction flowing through his veins.

Obito couldn't be happier right now and he wasn't sure if he had ever felt this way in the past. His life was now something he could enjoy, could take pride in and even if Kakashi was going on his last nerve sometimes - with beating him up during training, with his nose stuck in those perverted orange books he liked to read daily - Obito couldn't imagine working at the side of anyone else.

They were a fucking good team, one of the best ANBU teams Konoha had to offer at the moment (if one believed in the words of one Minato Namikaze), and Obito had never been more proud of himself. 

To his utter disbelief his aunt Mikoto and his uncle were blatantly proud of him, too. 

(Naturally, his strict and stoic asshole of an uncle never said it out loud. But Fugaku showed it in weekly meetings for tea and as the older Uchiha had ruffled Obito’s hair for the first time in years - or well, maybe ever - Obito had nearly burst into tears. But he reigned his emotions in, had stopped the tears from falling with all of the mental power he was capable of and he had simply fled from the room. He had searched for Kakashi instantly, had let his friend bury his mushy gooey feelings with serving him his ass on a platter in a spar. Obito had succeeded in quelling his tears but Fugaku had laughed at him the next day for the eternity of five minutes.)

Obito let out a heavy sigh as he remembered his encounter with a laughing Fugaku, and he distracted himself by opening his eye again. He watched big snowflakes falling from the sky and he could feel his friend and comrade sitting down next to him.

Kakashi was a warm presence at his side, the familiar smell of the boy’s apple shampoo and dogs and _just Kakashi_ washing over him and Obito simply ignored the rapidly increasing speed of his heartbeats. 

But he couldn't stop himself from looking at his friend even if he tried.

The silver-haired boy had a delicious looking flush sitting high on his sharp cheekbones, a deep strawberry-red which reminded Obito of candied apples and he was a bit glad that his friend seemed to be as exhausted as himself. There had been a time in their life’s when Kakashi didn't even bat an eyelash when he trained with Obito, so to see Kakashi sweating was one of the finer treats in life.

“Kakashi?”

“Yes, Obito?”

The Uchiha licked his lips at the sound of his name leaving those lips he desired to kiss and he had to pinch his own thigh to distract himself from his dirty thoughts. It was a common occurrence for Obito to think about Kakashi in bed, to dream about how his name would be leaving the boy’s lips when Obito kissed every inch of his moonlight-pale skin and -

Ugh. He had to stop. It wouldn't do to sport a boner in the middle of a training field. As much as Obito loved to work at Kakashi’s side every day - _this_ was definitely a big downside to spending so much time together. Obito had seen so much of his friend in the last months - too much - and his feelings were only getting deeper and deeper. Even Minato had catched up on his feelings by now and Obito prayed every day that Kakashi was still obvious.

“Do you still have one of those chocolate bars by chance?”

Kakashi was turning his head to look at him then, a mismatched gaze sparkling with something Obito still couldn't decipher, no matter how often he saw it in the last weeks. He raised an eyebrow in a silent question and an amused huff was leaving Kakashi’s mouth.

Seconds later, Obito was grinning brightly as he caught the sweet treat his friend was throwing at him. 

“Thank you, bakakashi,” Obito smiled with his heart pounding and red creeping up his cheeks. Obito knew that he had to pay Kakashi back soon. His friends' pants-pockets were filled with Obito’s favorite sweets for months now and even if Obito couldn't be happier about it, he also knew that all those sweets were costing a small fortune. He had to thank his friend _somehow_ , had to show Kakashi how much he appreciated the fact that he thought of him.

With a satisfied hum, Obito began happily devouring the chocolate bar, ignoring the look Kakashi was still giving him. It was the same look his friend had sent him all those months ago during their night-patrol as he gave him the pineapple-flavored candy and Obito didn't know what to do with it. 

He knew that Kakashi wanted to tell him something, that he was waiting for something to click in Obito’s mess of a brain, but no matter how many hours Obito spent awake at night to think about it, he couldn’t get his head around it. 

There was a heavy sigh echoing in the silence between them, breaking Obito out of his musings and then, Kakashi was letting himself fall backwards too. His head came to a rest on Obito’s shoulder, silver hair tickling his face. 

“Get your hair out of my face!”

Obito’s fingers were itching to touch, to feel soft strands of hair and to bury his nose in it. Kakashi was chuckling and Obito’s skin was flushing. He loved this deep sound, loved to feel the vibrations of Kakashi’s laughter in his own body and kami, it always was a good feeling to hear his friend laughing like that. 

It still blew his mind sometimes that he was even allowed to listen to it, that Kakashi didn't care anymore when Obito saw Kakashi’s eyes crinkling at the corners and his mask stretching over his face. Obito imprinted every instance in which this happened deep into his mind. 

To the Uchiha’s absolute dismay Kakashi was using his distracted thoughts to his advantage. He pushed even more of his messy strands in Obito’s face, Obito sputtering and flailing and pushing his friend back into the snow.

(And if Obito regretted his actions instantly it was no one’s problem but his own. He missed Kakashi’s warmth, his familiar scent, his _everything_ really and -)

“You wanna come over for dinner tonight?”

“Sure,” Obito answered easily enough, his body still yearning to feel Kakashi’s body pressed against him again. “Is Kushina on a mission again and you need someone to cook for you?”

Kakashi was slowly standing up, stretching his long limbs and Obito starred. Kami, but his friend definitely was too sexy for his own good in those tight black pants every ANBU was wearing, and Obito’s heart nearly short-circuited as he caught a glimpse of pale skin where Kakashi’s shirt rode up.

“Maa, Obito, maybe I’m just enjoying your company.”

“As if,” Obito snorted as he was getting up too and brushed off the snow from his ass.

“Are you saying you’re not good company?”

“I didn't say that,” Obito was shaking his head at his friend. “I’m the best company you can get in this village. I’m only implying that you never cared about _just my company_ before.”

“That’s not true,” Kakashi was stopping in their walk now, his eyebrows raised nearly behind his hairline as he looked at Obito. The Uchiha only shrugged his shoulders carelessly in answer - it was the truth after all. Even if they were friends, Kakashi _always_ had a reason to meet up with him. It varied from wanting Obito to cook for him, to speaking about an upcoming mission, but there was always a reason behind their meetings.

“But -” Kakashi was looking down at the ground for a moment, inhaling deeply before his shoulders were sagging. “Just - just forget I said something.”

“Okay?”

Obito was immensely confused now, at a total loss of what to think and the only thing he could do right now was following Kakashi back into the village. The sun was already going down, and his stomach was growling and if he was honest with himself, it wasn’t such a bad idea to prepare them both a meal.

They had been working out for hours after all, with not a single break in between, and Obito couldn't stomach the thought that Kakashi would only eat a ration-bar. (He knew this idiot and his bad habits for years, and Obito cared.)

“You know what?” Obito said happily as he caught up to his friend and threw an arm over his bony shoulders. “I’ll gladly cook something. You think Kushina still has some shrimps in the freezer?”

Kakashi’s radiant smile made Obito’s heart beat faster. _Again._

___

Obito let out a heavy groan. He was currently rubbing a hand over his full to bursting stomach, and it was one of these moments in which he regretted that he ever learned to cook. As promised earlier in the day, Obito had prepared Kakashi and him a meal - fried rice with vegetables - and as always Obito wasn't able to stop himself from eating too much. 

It was a mistake Obito made regularly, but well - _he just couldn’t help himself._ The sharp scent of the spices he had used were just too tempting and the pain he was now in was worth it. 

Obito was sitting next to Kakashi on Minato and Kushina’s big couch in the living room, and while Kakashi’s nose was once again stuck between the pages of one of his beloved _icha icha_ novels, Obito had busied himself with rubbing his belly and searching for his own book to read.

He had found an old book of Kushina, full of fairy tales with princesses and knights and monsters. He had instantly grabbed for it, remembering the calm nights he had spent with his grandmother. She had always read fairy tales to him when he was nothing more than a midget, and he had loved every word in those tales.

To read these stories again was moving something inside of him, and it let him remember his gran’s hot chocolate, and her always minty breath and when he closed his eyes he could almost imagine to sit on his grandmother’s veranda again. Kami, but he missed her. 

Obito’s eye came back to a rest on the page, but his mind was drifting. Oh, how he wished he could focus on reading like his friend could, how he wished it would be easy for him to lose himself between the pages. 

He let out another deep sigh and in his peripheral vision he could see Kakashi closing his book.

“Stop with the sighing already,” Kakashi muttered. 

“Sorry,” Obito murmured back. He laid his head back against the headrest and slowly, he turned his head so he could take a good look at his friend. The silver-haired boy had shed his mask before they ate and he hadn’t bothered to take it back on again.

Obito himself was equally thankful and pissed about Kakashi not wearing his mask, because Kakashi’s face was a distraction on a good day. But right now Kakashi’s face was only highlighted by the dim light of the lamp beside them and he looked like a fucking god. 

Obito _really_ wanted to touch the mole right under his full lips.

Fuck.

“You wanna do something?”

Kakashi’s voice startled Obito from his staring contest with the beauty mark and confused he looked up again. 

“What?”

“You were sighing. Repeatedly. So I figured you were bored.”

“Could you -” Obito swallowed heavily, his gaze getting back to the book in his hands. Before he could chicken out he decided to just get out with it. “Could you read to me? Maybe? Please?”

Obito didn't dare to look at his friend. It was one thing to accept that Kakashi knew about his inability to focus on reading, but it was another thing altogether to explicitly ask for Kakashi’s help.

“Sure,” Kakashi answered easily enough, his tone giving nothing away and Obito’s eyes grew big.

“I - _really?_ ”

Kakashi was only shrugging his shoulders, his lips twitching. “Your gran always read those fairy tales to you, didn’t she?”

“How do you know that?”

“I listen to you, you idiot.”

Well - that threw Obito off guard to say the least. He wouldn’t have guessed that Kakashi was really listening to his idiotic ramblings and maybe he should begin to take more care of what was leaving his mouth on a daily basis.

Kakashi only took the book from his hands and before Obito could even blink he had his lap full with a mop of messy silver hair. The boy had planted his head on his lap, his long legs stretched out on the couch and with a pleased gleam in his eye he took one of Obito’s hands and placed it on top of his head. 

Obito grinned brightly. This was such a Kakashi thing to do - silently demanding to get his head scratched. Obito began to brush his fingers through the soft strands of hair and a happy hum was leaving Kakashi’s lips. Obito prayed to all the Kami above that he wouldn’t get hard.

“Once upon a time..,” Kakashi’s deep voice laid itself over Obito’s shoulders like a warm, fuzzy blanket, and his inside were turning to mush. Kami, but this was everything he ever wanted. Kakashi was warm above him, Obito’s fingers still brushing through his hair and as he listened to the familiar tales Kakashi was reading to him, he somehow felt safe and well - _loved._

Obito didn’t know how much time had passed since Kakashi began reading. They had reached the last story of the book, Obito’s fingers still dancing over Kakashi’s scalp and he nearly laughed out loud as he saw the mop that was Kakashi’s hair. He looked like he just put his finger in a socket. 

The silver strands were sticking up in every which direction and fuck, but he looked endearing. Obito wanted to plant a kiss right on the boy’s forehead, wanted to tell him how absolutely adorable he looked, but he could stop himself at the last moment.

A yawn stretched his lips as Kakashi finally closed the book and fascinated Obito watched the drowsy fluttering of Kakashi’s long eyelashes. It seemed like his friend was tired, too. In the split of a second Obito made another decision.

He pushed his friend up before lying down on the couch himself and he opened his arms in a silent invitation. Kakashi was looking at him, one of his eyebrows raised and Obito swore he could see vulnerability flickering over the boy’s face. The expression was gone before Obito could be sure of it, tho.

“Just lay down, bakakashi. I’m tired,” Obito whispered into the silence. Kakashi sighed, but he turned off the lamp and lied down beside him. Obito pulled him into his arms, one of his hands burying themselves back into silver hair, and he could feel Kakashi’s breath against his neck.

Obito didn’t know what had come over him, what caused him to gain the courage to ask Kakashi to _cuddle_ with him and to not think about any consequences. Maybe it was the fact that Kakashi had read to him for hours, or maybe that it was late at night. Or maybe Obito just wasn't ready for Kakashi to not be near him.

A slight shudder ran through his body as Kakashi’s arm was wrapping itself over his waist and brushing over his skin, and never before in his life had Obito felt _so warm._ He was surrounded by everything that was Kakashi, in a room which always felt like home, and before he fell asleep he pressed a chaste kiss on the crown of Kakashi’s head.

Obito had never slept this good before.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr.](https://obitoforpresident.tumblr.com/)


End file.
